Author: Paul Nesselroade

KET covers “Don’t Forget Us”

On January 27th, International Holocaust Memorial Day, Kentucky Educational Television (KET) aired a story on the documentary that Asbury University Journalism Professor, Rich Manieri, and his students wrote, shot, and produced. I was grateful to be a part of both the tour that inspired the documentary as well as this KET news story. Here is a link to the story. [The piece on the Asbury documentary starts at the 19:15 mark.] And for more information about the documentary, immediately below is the trailer, and to the right (or just below the first video) is the documentary itself (after a three

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Interview with John Lennox, Part 3 – Spiritual Journey

In September of 2022, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Dr. John Lennox, sat down to talk with me about his spiritual journey. The exchange lasts about 20 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3Se7iyIcE.

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The 2022 AUHP Christmas Cookie Decorating Party!

The success of last years’ Christmas Cookie decorating party (and contest) spurred on another similar event this year. On the last day of regular classes, Friday, Dec 2nd, the AUHP opened up our conference room to a cookie decoration party – and just like last year, no more had the decorating started than the urge to compete overcame nearly everyone. Categories were quickly identified, a scale of measurement was established, and two of Asbury’s librarians were recruited to be neutral judges. (Thanks Beth Groves and Ashley Wahlert!) With a second cohort of students on campus this year, the number of

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Interview with John Lennox, Part 2 – Human Flourishing

In September of 2022, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Dr. John Lennox, sat down to talk with me about the relationship between Christianity and human flourishing and well-being. The exchange lasts about 30 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4St_G-_FtcA

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Educational Convening at Equal Justice Initiative

On November 17-18, 2022 I had the privilege of attending an Educational Convening in Montgomery, Alabama, sponsored by and located at the headquarters of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) – an organization committed to “ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.” Bryan Stevenson, the founder and author of the book “Just Mercy” was our main presenter. (A movie with the same title featuring Bryan and the work of EJI was released in 2019.) The two day event

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Human Dignity: Invented or Discovered (reprised)

(Talk delivered to AUHP students at Nov, 2022 orientation meeting.) As you know, the honors experience here at Asbury is a themed enrichment program – “Studies in Virtue and Human Value.” This evening, I want to invite you to walk along with me as we explore our theme for a few moments.   Our program’s two guiding questions are, “What gives humans value or dignity?” and “What are the implications of finding value in ourselves and others?” We can start by recognizing that most everyone feels like they have value, it’s instinctive – I am somebody, and my life is

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Premier of “Don’t Forget Us,” Documentary

On Wednesday evening, October 26th, nearly 350 students and community members crowded into the new CLC auditorium to view the first Asbury-student directed and shot documentary, Don’t Forget Us. The evening featured the 42 minute film followed by two panel discussions. The film project was the idea of Journalism professor, Rich Manieri, who traveled with his team of students to Germany and Poland to provide oversight for the project, also helping to write of the script. Here is a link to most of the events of the evening, including the documentary and the panel discussions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Z9ZthcOao. Prof. Manieri plans to

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Documentary Filmmaker Pierre Sauvage Displays the Power of Story through “Weapons of the Spirit”

October 24, 2022 (Reprinted with permission from www.asbury.edu) This week, Asbury welcomed the last Honors Program speaker for fall 2022 to the Miller screening room for a chance to watch a newly remastered version of his 1989 feature documentary, Weapons of the Spirit. Emmy-winning French-American documentary filmmaker and child survivor of the Holocaust, Pierre Sauvage, discussed the inspiration behind his film, as well as some of the key themes and messages that flow through the experience. Sauvage did not grow up religiously Jewish and did not find out about his ethnicity until the age of 18 because of his parents

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Dr. Jennifer Frey speaks about Happiness and Human Flourishing at Asbury University

On Monday evening, October 10th, University of South Carolina Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Jennifer Frey, delivered an address to the Asbury community entitled, “Classical and Contemporary Views on Happiness” to a packed Kinlaw Board room. She presented a clear, passionate, and convincing argument for a rediscovery of a more traditional and communal understanding of what nurtures human flourishing and well-being, frequently and effortlessly weaving the thoughts and understandings of such luminary thinkers such as Aristotle, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, as well as many others into her argument. Following her talk, students in Asbury’s Studies in Virtue and Human Value

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Filmmaker and Holocaust Survivor, Pierre Sauvage, to show documentary at Asbury

Pierre Sauvage will show his award-winning documentary, Weapons of the Spirit, on Asbury’s campus on Thursday, Oct, 20th. At the conclusion of the film, Pierre will field questions from the audience. Afterward, Pierre will be featured at a fireside chat with the AUHP students at Asbury guesthouse, Windsor Manor. Here is a brief description I wrote for to help our AUHP students understand the unique nature of this documentary: This film is not a typical holocaust documentary. It does situate itself within the larger holocaust story, but it gets particular – it dives deep into the specifics of the people

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